As we come to finale of the inaugural Mae Young Classic, WWE NXT Assistant Head Coach Sara Amato was interviewed by Rolling Stone to reflect back on the all women’s tournament, when she believes WWE focus on women’s wrestling changed and whether she is training the Four Horsewomen of MMA. Highlights of the interview below.
On being involved in recruiting talents for the tournament: “Not heavily involved. It was kind of a team. William Regal goes out and scouts and they have their pulse on what was happening in the independent scene. It was really important that we get the ladies who just bust their butts at Shimmer yearly and get representation because I know how hard they work and what a great promotion that is. The promoter of Shimmer, David Prazak, is really the one who put women’s wrestling on the map. He brought people like me and Mercedes Martinez in and believed in us and gave us a lot of time to just wrestle our little hearts out.”
On the Mae Young Classic feeling like a natural, genuine push for women’s wrestling: “I think so too, but I think it started a lot longer ago when they hired me. I think that was the beginning of it – Triple H and Stephanie seeing the need for a female trainer to train the women. We had so much potential and ability, they just needed a voice and one direction to follow. The men who worked with the women in the past did an amazing job with them but it’s just a lot different. It really started with them giving me the opportunity to lead the girls like Paige and Charlotte and Emma and give them the platform and kind of be their voice behind and fight for them behind the scenes a little bit.”
On when WWE began to change their focus on Women’s Wrestling: “Triple H really believed in the girls. When it really started changing was Charlotte and Nattie [WWE’s Natalya] had a match in NXT at one of the Takeovers. You couldn’t follow them. It should’ve been the main event. It opened a lot of people’s eyes. Being in production meetings and speaking up and knowing what the women were capable of and saying they could definitely pull this off or we could do this with them or they could be here – kind of speak their ideas and pitch for them.”
On if she is training the Four Horsewomen of MMA: “No. Shayna came down to train for the tournament and Marina (Shafir) is married to Roderick Strong, so she’s been at our TVs and stuff and I did meet Jessamyn (Duke) and Ronda. They’re huge fans and super cool people, so I’d be interested. I thought (the faceoff) was awesome at the taping and I’d be so interested as a fan to watch if it did come to fruition.”
Sara Amato also discusses Jim Ross and Lita on commentary, first arriving as a trainer to the WWE and hopes of WWE holding another Mae Young Classic.
You can read the full interview here.
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